Safety hitch



May 24, 1949. Rupmsnom: l 2,470,862

SAFETY `HITGH Filed July 15, 1947 Patented May 24, 1949 UNITED LSTATES ATENT orFrcE 1 Claim. I

This invention relates to a safety hitch, and has for one of its objects the production of a simple and eiicient means for automatically releasing the hitch should the implement which is connected thereto come in contact with a stone or other stationary object, thereby preventing dam-- age to the implement.

A further object of this invention is the production of a safety hitch which is provided with means for quickly and easily rehitching the same after the hitch has been released by contacting a stationary object.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will appear throughout the following specification and claim.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the safety hitch;

Figure 2 is a rear elevational view;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the hitch, the draw-bar of a tractor being shown in dotted lines;

Figure 4 is an enlarged longitudinal fragmentary sectional view illustrating the position of the parts when the hitch is released;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary rear elevational view illustrating the manner in which the latching rod is pivotally connected to one end of the pull rod;

Figure 6 is a horizontal sectional View taken on line 6 6 of Figure 1.

By referring to the drawing, it will be noted that I designates the hitch frame which preferably constitutes a metal casting comprising a base plate II, an upwardly extending latching arm I2 and a spaced upwardly extending pullrod supporting arm I3. The base plate II is preferably secured to the tractor draw bar I4 by means of bolts I and this plate II rests upon the upper face of the tractor draw-bar I4 near the rear end of the draw bar. The arm I3 Yis provided with an angle web brace I6 which is formed integrally with the inner face of the arm I3 and the upper face of the base plate II, as shown. This brace I6 extends to a point lnear the top of the arm I3 adjacent the pull-rod I'I which extends transversely through the arm I3, and is slidable therethrough.

The pull-rod I'I supports a latching rod I8, the downwardly curved end I9 being pivotally connected to the protruding end of the pull-rod I'I which extends beyond the arm I3, as shown in Figure 1. The connecting link 2I of the implement to be attached to the hitch I0 ts around the end I9 of the latching rod I8 for the purpose of attaching the implement to the tractor hitch. A coil spring 22 is carried by the latching rod I8,

and the tension of this spring 22 may be adjusted by means of the nut 23 which is threaded upon the rod Il to normally hold the downwardly curved end I9 in flat abutting engagement with the outer face of the pull-rod supporting arm I3. The opposite end 24 is slidably mounted through the aperture 25 formed in the arm I2.

The latching rod I8 is provided with an outer latching end 26 which detachably ts within the inverted bayonet slot 21 formed in the upper end of the arm I2. The fact that the downwardly curved end I9 normally is in flat abutting engagement with the outer face of the pull-rod supporting arm I3 and normally is held in this position by the spring 22, the latching end 26 will be at all times held in the bayonet slot 2'I against accidental release by jarring until manually released by an operator, or until released by excessive pull should the implement carrying the hitch strike an obstruction. The rod II is freely rotatable relative to the arms I2 and I3, as well as being reciprocably mounted thereon, so that the outer end 26 of the latching rod I8 may be freely moved into the bayonet slot 2'I for latching the same.

It should be noted that pull of the link 2| of the implement being pulled by the tractor carrying the draw-bar I4 will be against the tension of the spring 22 and should the implement strike an obstruction, the spring 22 will yield further until the latching end 26 of the rod I8 is pulled transversely of the arm I2 and out of the bayonet slot 21. The latching rod I8 will then swing to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 3, and the link flI will slide oi the rod I8 thereby disengaging the implement from the hitch I0.

The hitch again may be quickly and easily fastened by connecting the link 2| to the latching rod I8 and then tting the latching end 26 within the slot 2l. Since the bayonet slot 2'I is inverted, the end 26 is placed through the lower end 2'Ia thereof and moved upwardly into the laterally offset socket 2lb thereof. The normal pull of the link 2| being above the pivot 20, this will tend to hold the end 26 in the socket 2lb until excessive pressure is applied to the spring 22 to automatically release the latching rod I8.

As will be noted by carefully considering Figure 2, the bayonet slot is preferably formed at an angle of and the socket 21 thereof is preferably formed at a reverse angle of 45 at the inner end of the entrance portion of the bayonet slot.

What I claim as new is:

A hitch comprising a frame having spaced arms, a pull-rod slidable transversely of said arms,

a latching rod having a depending end pivotally connected to one end of the pull-rod beyond the frame, said latching rod also having a protruding latching end, one of said arms having an inverted bayonet slot for receiving the latching end of said pull-rod to hold the latching rod in a latched position, the depending end of said latching rod being adapted to engage a towing connection for a towed vehicle and to automatically release the towing connection when the latching rod is released, and a spring carried by said pull-rod and abutting the frame to releasably and normally hold the depending end of the latching rod in flat abutting relation with the outer face of said frame and to thereby hold the latching end of the latching rod against accidental release by jarring until said latching rod is automatically released by excessive pull thereon should the implement carrying the hitch strike an obstruction.

ROBERT D. PRESDORF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent: 

